Godly Play

Evan is starting to really enjoy church. I think the main reason is that he gets a snack and there are toys he doesn't see every day to play with. It's interesting to try to figure out how to develop a devotional life in a 2 year old. It's very hard for him to sit still. In fact, this morning, his behavior at church was probably the worst I'd ever experienced since he came. During the sermon, there is a small portion of time for children's instruction called Godly Play and Evan really enjoys it. He hears a story, plays in the "desert," works on an art project, and then eats a "feast" with the other children. I think he gets something out of the opportunity to interact with God and the Bible on his level. As we left church today, Evan said "bye, bye Jesus." Do you think a 2 year old experiences the presence of a true, living, and present God when we go to church? I think he has some understanding of Jesus...at his level. It's precious to see.

Watch out for invisible cows...

This is a picture of one so you will have no trouble identifying them if you come across one. If you have any questions about this post, please e-mail me.

Leap Day Eve Party

St. Martin's is having a Leap Day Eve party this Thursday. Please be praying as they literally walk through an "ancient story" together and do activities based on this "story." Their group is going to have a BLAST!

Israel wants a King

Tuesday night was a great youth meeting at St. Thomas. There is a great group of spiritually hungry kids who have been reading through the Bible together. Father Murph taught out of I Samuel 8 and 9 in their series of studying the entire Bible in order. He talked about the historical context of Israel at the time...all the other nations had a king and Israel wanted one, too. The kids had many questions and a great discussion. I'm always impressed with the depth they seek to go when they study the Bible together.

When the kids outnumber the adults

Journey to Narnia continues to be a blessing to everyone involved. On Wednesday, we built Mr. and Mrs. Beaver's house and ate beaver snacks in front of their "fire place." It's really cool at St. Alban's to see the middle school group outnumber our children's group (last year it was the opposite) and faithful Sr. High helpers. The children discussed how Edmund betrayed everyone and the effects of his poor decision. We also discussed how Edmund's betrayal of his siblings and the beavers put their lives in danger. We compared that to our own sin and talked about how Jesus lived a perfect life in our place and took our punishment for sin and how now we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live our lives devoted to the Lord. The kids learned their memory verses and were able to pick prizes out of the "treasure chest." They also sang "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" with motions and "How Great Is Our God" with live guitar/keyboard accompaniment. The children/youth ministry outnumbers the adult ministry during Wednesday night lent studies at St. Alban's. Please continue to pray that God will move powerfully during out times together.

Sacrifice

Mark 8:34 - 38





"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for th gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul. Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.'"



This past Sunday at St. Alban's, I had the priviledge to work with the Easter confirmands. We watched bits of video from the "End of the Spear" and talked about the seriousness of saying yes to following Jesus. It's not a call to take lightly and confirmation is not a coming of age ritual. At confirmation, a person dedicates him/herself to following Jesus. We talked about putting Jesus first in all our decisions and clarified that following Jesus does not mean that a person has to be perfect for the rest of his/her life. For, if this were so, then no one would need Jesus. We also talked about committing to follow Jesus is even more serious of a commitment than marriage.

In the "End of the Spear" the people were so committed to what the Lord called them to do, that even when the 5 men died trying to reach the indian tribe, their families still went to the tribe and eventually led them to Christ. We discussed the deep commitment to the Lord and the Lord's work in them gave them the grace to forgive the men who had killed their husbands/fathers/brothers and the compassion to love them as brothers. How we fall short every day to living as Jesus lived...forgiving without question the men who killed him. Oh how we all need a lifetime commitment to follow Jesus closely. I hope that confirmation is the start of this for the young people at St. Alban's.

re:mix is coming

The countdown is on... 10 days until re:mix. It is gearing up to be such a FABULOUS conference, yet extremely under-utilized. Mike Pilavachi will be there, a FAMOUS speaker from ENGLAND. It is my hope and prayer that the conference will PACK OUT! This is an incredible opportunity. I just found out today that there are scholarships available, so money is no longer an object. Check out the info at www.rocktheworld.org . You can register there, also. YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT!!!!

Journey through Narnia

The children and youth at St. Alban's are doing a lent series called "Journey Through Narnia" where they are watching bits of the film and exploring the Biblical themes/applications through discussion, worship, games, activities, and food. Every Wednesday during Lent from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at St. Alban's Murrsyville. Check it out if you get the chance!

We had our first meeting last night and it was a lot of fun, in spite of many obstacles including SNOW. We talked about Edmund, the White Witch, and Aslan and the themes of Sin and Atonement. It was a great meeting and we hope to build up momentum over the next 5 weeks.

We will be learning about the Armor of God and how to use it in our lives.

Reading through the Bible

Last week I had a great experience leading the Bible study at St. Thomas. During the jr./sr. high youth ministry, they are reading through the whole Bible and discussing the meaning of the scriptures and how they apply to life. Last year they started in Genesis and have been reading together every week. Last week, I had the opportunity to study I Samuel 2 and 3 with the group. I LOVE I Samuel 3. Young Samuel is in the temple. He has been given to the Lord by his mother, Hannah for the Lord's service. Samuel studied under the priest, Eli. One night while Samuel was sleeping, he heard a voice calling him and thought it was Eli, but it was the Lord. God gave young Samuel a prophecy to speak to Eli about the sins of his sons.

I love this scripture because it shows how God can use children to further his kingdom. More than just middle-aged people can be used for the Lord's work. Read the Bible...God did real things through young people over and over again. Maybe it's because of their energy...maybe it's because of their unquestioning faith...maybe it's because we're called to a lifetime of service... Whatever the reason, we need to remember with God to expect great things...even if someone seems too young to be able to serve Him.